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Biofuels: The Good, the Bad & the Low-Carbon
Jump-Starting Michigan's Biofuels Industry
By Charles Griffith
Last summer, the Michigan Renewable Fuels Commission (RFC), appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, issued a broad set of recommendations intended to help jump-start the next-generation fuels industry within the state.
As a member of that Commission, I believe there are three key recommendations that deserve highlighting from an environmental perspective. These include: 1) the development of a low-carbon fuel strategy for renewable fuels; 2) the establishment of a next-generation renewable fuels feedstock program; and 3) the creation of a "Green Retailers" program for encouraging retail renewable fuel sales.
A Low Carbon Fuel Standard, such as the one now being developed in California, is a good way to approach biofuels. The policy requires that fuels contain decreasing amounts of carbon based on their lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. The lifecycle approach looks at the greenhouse gas emissions of the fuel from production to delivery, which includes direct land use changes resulting from fuel crop planting and protections for sensitive lands. A low-carbon standard avoids preference of one fuel over another, and allows the market to choose the most efficient combination of fuels and technologies that will meet a declining standard for the permitted carbon content. This performance-based approach would create a strong market for Michigan-based, cellulosic fuels and could even provide a boost to plug-in hybrid vehicles being developed by General Motors and others.
A complementary policy to speed up the production of new feedstocks for low carbon fuels in the state would provide farmers, the forestry industry, and others with incentives to transition to growing next-generation energy crops. A comprehensive incentive package recommended by the Commission includes payments to landowners who produce dedicated energy crops sustainably; tax incentives or loan guarantees for the purchase of new equipment; and research and technical assistance. By ensuring that biofuels are grown sustainably, and used to rebuild soil in marginal agricultural areas or to provide a sustainably harvested wood crop, Michigan could set a leadership path that other states would want to follow.
Finally, a "Green Retailers" program would ensure a growing market for renewable fuels in the state by helping to establish a fuel infrastructure for E85 and biodiesel that is currently lacking. The program would work by rewarding retail and wholesale outlets that sell a certain percentage of renewable fuels with a tax rebate. Ideally, such a program would be funded through a small tax increase on conventional petroleum fuels, thus providing further incentives for low-carbon fuels grown here in Michigan.
Lansing policymakers are now beginning to consider legislation to address the Renewable Fuels Commission's recommendations. Given the current interest and debate about the future of biofuels (see "Biofuels Boom Hits Bump in the Road"), the Michigan Legislature has a golden opportunity and a leadership moment.
Our political leaders can and should make a strong push to position our agricultural and auto industries to capture the market for low-carbon, environmentally sustainable fuels of the future. Michigan will have to move fast, however, since other states are already considering many of the policies outlined here.
Visit the Sustainable Biofuels section of the Clean Car Campaign on the Ecology Center web site.
Charles Griffith is the Ecology Center's Clean Car Campaign Director and a member of the Renewable Fuels Commission.
Biofuels Boom Hits Bump in the Road
By Monica Patel
The recent outpouring of bad news about biofuels is impossible to ignore. The imminent death of biofuels — before they are fully born — is being predicted everywhere.
The current "food vs. fuel" debate, for example, alarmingly points to biofuels as the cause for current high food prices. On the environmental front, two articles in the journal Science recently argued that growing fuel could actually exacerbate global warming pollution. Yet, there is strong evidence, many still contend, that a biofuels boom, if done right, will benefit both the economy and the environment.
While they may play a role in food prices, biofuels are not the primary cause of the problem. Maximum estimates put their impact at one-third of the food inflation. Rising energy costs, poor weather conditions, pest and disease shocks, the decreasing value of the dollar, and increased demand for meat in developing countries, account for the bulk of food price inflation.
More critically, credible articles released earlier this year argue that growing fuel could actually aggravate the very environmental problem the alternative fuel is supposed to alleviate. The papers point out that if currently unmanaged forests or grasslands, or other pristine lands, were converted to agricultural lands to sustain the need for fuel crops, the overall carbon benefits derived from replacing fossil fuels with biofuels would be negated.
Alternative fuel proponents counter that biofuels are not inherently "good" or "bad" — it just depends on what fuels are grown, where, and how. Done wrong, they admit that biofuels are potentially disastrous for the economy and our environment. But done right, they contend that biofuels not only can fulfill their promise for agriculture, climate change and oil independence, they also can bolster the domestic auto industry and its leadership role in developing "flex-fuel" vehicles.
What would doing biofuels "right" look like? While corn ethanol has played an important role in getting the biofuels boom going, most experts now agree that future biofuels must be produced using less energy and fewer resources. One paper, "Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt," offers a solution: make biofuels from waste biomass or perennials planted on abandoned agricultural lands. Biofuel made from such "cellulosic" sources — grasses, wastes or wood residues — not only offers immediate greenhouse gas advantages; it also avoids potential "food vs. fuel" conflicts.
Biofuels proponents also point out that consumers are already feeling some of the economic benefits of alternative fuels; they just don't know it. Yes, food prices are up in part due to corn being diverted to make ethanol, but consumers can't blame the biofuels boom for skyrocketing gas prices. According to an analysis released by Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., in March, "oil and gasoline prices would be about 15 percent higher if biofuel producers weren't increasing their output."
Monica Patel is Research Analyst and Advocate for the Ecology Center’s Clean Car Campaign.
back to topEcology Center Study Finds More Evidence of Brominated Flame Retardant Hazards in Car Interiors
By Ted Sylvester
One type of brominated flame retardant (BFR), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), is a compound commonly used as a flame retardant in all kinds of manufactured goods, from cars to furniture. Two forms, PentaBDE and OctaBDE, are toxic enough to have been banned in Europe in 2004 and in Michigan and other states since 2006. DecaBDE is the only PBDE formulation still in widespread use. However, experts have long suspected that DecaBDE, under some conditions, breaks down into the more harmful Penta and Octa formulations and should also be banned.
Recently, three independent studies — one by the Ecology Center (unpublished), another by researchers at the University of Crete (Mandalakis et al, 2008), and a third by the National Institute of Science in Japan (Kajiwara et al, 2008) — confirmed DecaBDE breakdown, or "debromination," under normal use in vehicles. Debromination happens when ultraviolet radiation from the sun strikes DecaBDE-treated dashboards, fabrics, seat cushions and other components, causing the DecaBDE to break down (by losing bromine atoms) to less (or lower) brominated PBDE compounds. These compounds include the banned forms of PBDEs. The high temperatures common inside vehicles accelerate the release, or outgassing, of DecaBDE and the breakdown products (PentaBDE and OctaBDE mixtures) into the air and dust in vehicles.
The Ecology Center findings were presented by Jeff Gearhart, Research Director for the Ecology Center's Clean Car Campaign, on May 13 to automotive interior engineers at the 2008 Automotive Cockpit and Door Modules conference in Dearborn. The study placed sealed quartz ampoules containing pure DecaBDE behind vehicle windshields. Analysis showed significant debromination of DecaBDE after just 54 hours of solar exposure behind car windshields. The findings represented an advance in research findings published in the Ecology Center's 2006 groundbreaking report, "Toxic at any Speed: Chemicals in Cars and the Need for Safe Alternatives," which found that drivers and passengers face potential exposure through inhalation and contact with dust to PBDEs.
The Greek study results, published in the March 26, 2008, journal, Environmental Science & Technology, found that under typical operating conditions there is "significant outgassing" of PBDEs from car interiors, resulting in "very high concentrations of PBDE flame retardants." The study collected 41 air samples from 33 vehicles (0-5 years old) in Greece. The air was sampled during normal operations of the vehicles by their owners. The report's authors estimated that indoor air of automobiles may contribute up to 29% of the total daily exposure of PBDEs via inhalation.
The study by the National Institute of Science in Japan documented, for the first time, breakdown of DecaBDE while it is still contained in the plastic matrix. The study examined the impact of natural sunlight on DecaBDE treated high-impact polystyrene, which is commonly used in computer and TV cases. The study found that after 224 days of exposure to sunlight, more than 90% of the DecaBDE had broken down into other compounds
The new Ecology Center research confirmed its earlier findings, reporting "the inhalation intake in various environments suggest that the exposure to PBDEs during an 80-minute drive is approximately equivalent to the exposure from 16.5 hours at home." It is also postulated that professional drivers (i.e., taxi drivers, truckers, etc.), who spend longer time in vehicles, may be at higher risk with regard to PBDEs exposure.
But more significantly, Ecology Center researchers found that "DecaBDE was found to readily undergo photolysis with the formation of toxic lower brominated congeners under conditions representative of vehicle interiors" (table #1 above & #2 below show the loss of 89% DecaBDE and a corresponding increase in lower brominated PBDEs). The findings should add weight to advocates calling for the ban of DecaBDE throughout the country, and in Michigan, where such legislation is currently being considered.
The combined studies also give weight to the Ecology Center's Clean Car Campaign website, HealthyCar.org, where consumers can find test results on the presence of toxic chemicals such as PBDEs and phthalates in car interiors and child car seats. The website gives each vehicle make and model, and car seat, an overall rating, and ranks them according to level of concern.
News From HealthyCar.org
Nominations Sought for New Round of Child Car Seat Tests
Vote at HealthyCar.org by June 23
Ecology Center environmental scientists are updating their data and they want to hear from you! Our focus: toxic chemicals in child car seats.
We can't realistically test all available makes and models, so we're conducting an election of sorts. The child car seats that receive the most votes will get tested first. You have until Mon., June 23 to visit the Test My Car Seat feature at HealthyCar.org to nominate and vote for the child car seats you are most interested in having tested. This feature has proven to be incredibly popular at our sister site, HealthyToys.org, with over 10,000 nominations for toys to be tested. Test results for the most popular child car seats will be released on Tues., July 22.
While there are numerous substances in child car seats that can lead to health and environmental problems, Ecology Center testing is focused on bromine, chlorine, lead, and heavy metal allergens — chemicals that have been linked to major health problems such as liver, thyroid and developmental problems in children. Research has shown that babies are the most vulnerable population in terms of exposure to chemical-laden dust and inhaling toxic fumes, since their systems are still developing.
Currently, HealthyCar.org has test results for major components — including the seat cushion, foam backing, seat base, seat belt clip and sun shade — for over 60 popular child car seats. Anyone looking to buy a new child car seat — infant, convertible or booster — or wondering about the chemical content of their current child's car seat, can visit HealthyCar.org and search by model, or comparison shop between different models.
2008 Vehicle Ratings Coming Online
Release Set for July 22 at HealthyCar.org
In an ongoing effort to help identify toxic risks in consumer products, the Ecology Center has been busy testing cars this spring, and the ratings for the 2008 models are nearly in. HealthyCar.org currently includes test results from over 200 of the most popular vehicles in the U.S. market from the 2006 and 2007 model years. Results from the most recent round of car-interior testing, including new data on child car seats, will be available at HealthyCar.org on July 22.
HealthyCar.org is based on research conducted by the Ecology Center that looks at the presence of key hazardous chemicals in vehicles — all chosen because of their toxicity, persistence, and/or tendency to build up in people and the environment.
If you're in the market for a new car, or wondering if your current car is safe, visit www.HealthyCar.org where you can search by model, or comparison shop between different models.
back to topLindane Victory in the Michigan House!
Following two years of work and the Ecology Center's successful settlement of a SLAPP suit, the Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation in mid-May to restrict the use of lindane, a hazardous pesticide still used in pharmaceuticals for treatment of lice and scabies. The bill would require that lindane prescriptions be used only under a physician's direct supervision in his or her office. In a bipartisan vote (72-35), the House passed HB 4569 and sent it on to the Senate. View our press release.
"This is an important vote to help reduce a persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemical from entering the Great Lakes," said Tracey Easthope, MPH, of the Ecology Center. "Many thanks to the sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Ted Hammon, and for the leadership of House Committee on Great Lakes & Environment Chair, Rebekah Warren, for prioritizing children's health and the environment."
In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory for lindane. The agency recommended that lindane-containing products be used with caution for infants, children, the elderly, and those who weigh less than 110 pounds, as they may be at risk of serious neurotoxicity.
In 2006, lindane was voluntarily withdrawn from use in agriculture, and is no longer used in the U.S. in the military or on livestock. Yet, lindane is regularly applied to the scalps of Michigan children.
Many thanks to all of you who asked your State Representative to support this bill. Without your help, this victory may not have been possible. We will soon ask for your help to get this bill through the Senate!
Protecting children and the environment from lindane is a priority of the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health, a broad coalition led by the Ecology Center. Major health organizations support this legislation, including the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Michigan Nurses Association, the American Nurses Association, the Michigan Association of School Nurses, the Michigan Pharmacists Association, and the Wayne County Medical Society of Southeast Michigan. Major environmental organizations also support the bill, including the Michigan Environmental Council, Clean Water Action, Ecology Center, Sierra Club, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, and the Michigan Department of Community Health.
back to topMary Beth Doyle Park: A Fitting Tribute
On Sunday, June 1, Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje and Washtenaw County Drain Commissioner Janis Bobrin formally dedicated Mary Beth Doyle Park and Wetland Preserve before a crowd of public officials, environmental activists, and park boosters.
Formerly known as Brown Park, the 80-acre site has undergone a dramatic ecological restoration to reduce flooding and improve water quality in Mallett's Creek, a tributary of the Huron River. It's also an outstanding site for wildlife viewing, with a popular disc golf course, bike and walking paths, a basketball court, and other recreational opportunities.
The park was renamed after Mary Beth Doyle, the Ecology Center's former Environmental Health Campaign Director, in memory of her remarkable work at the local, state, and national levels for environmental health, and of her energetic efforts to save green space and parks in Ann Arbor. Mary Beth ran the field campaign for the 1999 Ann Arbor parks millage campaign, and was a leader in the 2000 Washtenaw County natural areas campaign and 2003 Ann Arbor Greenbelt campaign.
In the way that this park blends fun with environmental protection, it provides a fitting tribute to Mary Beth Doyle. She found humor in the toughest situations, and was a dogged defender of public health and the environment.
Mary Beth built a record of accomplishments and a legion of friends during her twelve years of work at the Ecology Center before her untimely death in 2004. The Ecology Center has established a memorial fund in her name that supports our environmental health activism.
back to topDonate now to the Mary Beth Doyle Environmental Health Fund. Learn how this fund finances different projects and programs of the Ecology Center by reading this article in the July 2008 EcoLink.
Visit the Mary Beth Doyle memorial service program page. (pdf)
EcoLink — May 2008
An online publication of the Ecology Center
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